Focus on China
In the midst of a trade war with the United States, China is developing a dedicated soybean supply chain with Brazil that is specifically tailored to China’s sustainability and quality standards. The “Soy China” initiative is a customized, exclusive soybean production model to meet Chinese import needs and standards, particularly regarding environmental, social and traceability...
China soybean imports continue surge
China, the world’s largest soybean consumer, set a second straight monthly import record in July, Reuters reported, citing customs data calculations. China brought in 11.67 million tonnes of soybeans in July, data from the General Administration of Customs showed, up 18.5% from 9.85 million tonnes a year earlier, and above analysts’ expectations of 10.48 million tonnes. Wan...
IGC: Bumper corn crop expected in 2025-26
With a bumper corn crop expected, the International Grains Council (IGC) forecasts global grains production in the 2025-26 marketing year at a record 2.373 billion tonnes. In its April Grain Market Report, the IGC revised its corn output projection to a record 1.274 billion tonnes, while forecasts for wheat and rice remained roughly the same...
Tariffs provoke uncertainty for commodities as traders balk
Agriculture industry analysts say the constantly shifting landscape of US tariffs, retaliatory actions, reciprocal tariffs, and possible delays makes the uncertainty of the situation almost as bad as the tariffs themselves. “It gets very difficult to price a product,” said Tanner Ehmke, grains and oilseeds economist with CoBank. “Are we going to have a tariff...
Record-setting soybean crop expected in Brazil
Brazil, the world’s largest producer and exporter of soybeans, is forecast to set records in those categories in the 2025-26 marketing year, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. The report said Brazil accounts for 40% of global soybean production. Its output is projected to increase...
Argentina’s soybean crop stabilizes
Showing signs of recovery from drought that has persisted through January, Argentina’s soybean crop is forecast to reach 49 million tonnes in marketing year 2024-25, the same as 2023-24, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. The drought and extreme heat severely impacted the crop at...
Brazil’s grains production in record territory
Greater planted area and a recovery in productivity have Brazil poised to harvest 325.7 million tonnes of grains for the 2024-25 season, according to the National Supply Company’s (Conab’s) recently released forecast. The current estimates would be 9.4% greater than the previous season. The latest producer survey reflects a 2.1% increase in the cultivated area,...
India’s rice stocks reach record high
While its wheat stocks continue to drop, India’s rice stocks hit a record at the beginning of January, reaching eight times the government’s target, Reuters reported. Rice reserves totaled 60.9 million tonnes on Jan. 1, much higher than the target of 7.6 million tonnes. Wheat stocks were at 18.4 million tonnes, above the target of 13.8 million...
New grain terminal opens in Saudi Arabia
National Grain Co., a joint venture between the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. (SALIC) and Bahri, inaugurated the Yanbu Grain Handling Terminal on Dec. 22 at Yanbu Commercial Port. The company said the new terminal features a storage capacity of 156,000 tonnes, including 12 silos with a total capacity of 96,000 tonnes and a...
Heat, dryness expected in Brazil
Most of the commodity trade fear of La Niña negatively influencing South America has passed. Weather conditions since the end of October have been mostly very good in Brazil and Argentina and the market mentality has been more bearish than bullish over futures prices; however, changing weather this month is likely to bring a little...